Captivating Cuba Avis 

Only gets 1* as I can't give it 0.

Just had an email from ATOL and this company is no longer trading.

Fingers crossed I can get all my money back.

What is happening with this company?
Have spoken with three staff members who on each occasion has assured me that someone would phone me back. No one phoned. Have also written two e mails with no response. Phones now seem to be temporarily disconnected. Sounds ominous.

Sadly they've gone out of business as of 13 May 2024.

We traveled to Cuba in March for 3 weeks and had an amazing time. The trip was arranged by Nikki who did a brilliant job for us. We saw everything that we wanted to and had some fabulous experiences. The guides we had were just amazing and really added to our experience. Cuba is a fabulous country and it is definately worth travelling outside of Havana and the beaches to see such amazing scenery as in the Vinales Valley or the very old and fascinating city of Trinidad and the old French style city of Cienfuegos.

We had a well planned trip through captivating Cuba which gave us a good overview of Cuba as it is today. The History of Cuba was amazing and the fact that they did not demolish all their history was something that we appreciated. We stayed in a mix of State Hotels and wonderful Casas (which would be our preference) Club Tropicana in Havana is a show that you should see if you have time. Well worth the extra money. The people were lovely to talk to and the food we shared with Our Driver and Tour guide off the beaten track of the hotels was fabulous and an insight into the real Cuba. They love food and their Rum. We saw some amazing sights along the way, a short trek into the mountains at La Plata to see Fidel's hideaway was worth the trek, the changing of the guards at Fidel Castro's tomb in Santiago de Cuba was something to see. Trinidad with its quirky buildings and arts and crafts was a fascinating place to walk around and we always felt safe. Hostel La Moda was a beautiful place to stay and our hosts and their staff were lovely. Would have liked to have had longer here, but there was more to see and a short time to do it. We went from the sea to the mountains and all the sights were amazing in their own way. Would go back again as there was so much more to see.

Staff at Captivating Cuba were extremely knowledgeable about Cuba and put together a package that included Havana and Varedero, staying at two wonderful hotels. In Havana, they were able to book us several excursions and make dinner reservations in two of the best restaurants. CC provided us with a great pack on holidaying in Cuba from which currency to take, keeping safe, contact numbers of reps should we need help, excursions recommended restaurants. They sorted out our Visas and even when I made a mistake filling out one of them, they sourced a travel agent in Paris where I could collect it whilst on the first leg of our holiday. Emails were responded to swiftly and on occasion, when staff were not in the office. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Captivating Cuba.

Great planning by Nikki. All travel, tours, excursions and transfers worked well except one! Beautiful country, lovely people but the poverty is heartbreaking. Intermittent electricity and water!

I couldn't recommend this company more. They organised our wedding out in Cuba. Nikki was always so pleasant to deal with and was very responsive. She made the whole process so stress free for us. The suppliers they work with are all of very high standards. The team in Cuba made the whole process very smooth and even went out of their way to meet us with our certificate before we went home. They are also very reasonably priced and work within your budget. I would highly recommend their services.

The accommodations were great - staffed with friendly, kind folks who went out of their way to make our stay comfortable. The excursions set up by Captivating Cuba were worth it - the guides were all very knowledgeable. Vehicle transportation between Havana, Vinales and Trinidad were also convenient and comfortable.

What I have experience so far you have been very helpful everything I needed thank you for that and when I go on holiday I will get back I will tell you what I think as well I have seen the hotel and YouTube and love it right by the beach as I wanted thank you

From initial enquiry about a booking a holiday (honeymoon!) to Cuba a year in advance, to then booking and paying our deposit, the information and responses were really informative and helpful. They guided us to ideas, hotels and resorts that we may like, helping us to build exactly the right holiday for us.

CaptivatingCuba organised a great two week trip to Cuba at very short notice. They were very responsive to suggested changes to itinerary and delivered them. They provided good and efficient support in Cuba. I would recommend them as an efficient and friendly one-stop-shop to organise a holiday to Cuba.

I used captivating Cuba for full concierge service around my weekend trip to Havana. CC booked our transfers, 2 excursions and made some amazing restaurant recommendations and reservations for us. If you are even just considering a trip to Cuba, contact these guys first.

My sister and I were in Cuba from 14-23 November 2023 for our first trip. We stayed in Habana and Trinidad. Both stays were wonderfully organised and our tours were arranged by Captivating Cuba reps, Adrian and Luharki. Their expert knowledge enabled us to enjoy the wonderful tapestry of Habana and Trinidad. They also gave local advice and guidance. We went to Vinales, sugar mills, Tropicana to name a few of our Cuban delights. Thank you Capitivating Cuba. Next time I will book directly with you. Muchos gracias, Captivating Cuba. Viva Cuba.

Hope you are well. We got back from Cuba this morning and before I get swept up in work next week I thought I would write and hopefully give you some useful feedback.
First of all we thoroughly enjoyed it and all of the organisation was excellent. Really punctual collections for our transfers and the two hotels we stayed in at Havana and Varadero were both great.
I also wanted to let you know that we had a great welcome at Casa Maritza Hernandes in Trinidad - and would recommend her to your other clients if they are nervous (like I was!) at staying somewhere other than a hotel. She couldn't do enough for you - in fact the people who were waiting for us in the transfer car outside said she was hugging us like we were family!
Many thanks
Connor

Could not fault the team at Captivating Cuba. From planning the trip, to the representatives in Cuba everything was pretty much perfect. Very knowledgable staff. Great choice of hotels, and totally prepared by the team before we went. My only criticism is that nobody has contacted us to see if there is any feedback from the trip. However, would highly recommend if you're thinking of visiting Cuba. You 100% need a local representative and people with knowledge.

Cuba is a fantastic country! Wonderfull beaches, the exciting Havana and Santiago, the small heaven of Cayo Levisa, Sierra Maestra where the Cuban Revolution started, etc. In addition to the places, the nice people, the rum and the music, of course. Thank you for organising this experiance!
So many things to see and to do in cuba so I recommend you to speak with the people of this company to get information about the places and the offers.
I already have a plan for the next Cuban trip.

Professionalism throughout, excellent customer service, support and follow up in UK and Cuba

Having just returned from Cuba can I just pass on our thanks for all your efforts – I think we really got the best compromise possible for a 14 day stay and the support and arrangements worked really well. In particular the two transfers with guides were excellent . The Map of Havana was a godsend – the only problem with it being that it had almost fallen apart from constant use after 4 days!!
Again – Thank you to you personally and to the team here and in Cuba.

Cheers

Lily Jones

Just wanted to thank you for all your work on helping us plan our last minute trip to Cuba and let you know how it went.
On arrival in Cuba as we walked out to arrivals there was the smiling face of Adrian who then introduced us to our driver Yuri who drove us to Hostal El Angel, which was a little palace on the top floor of a beautiful old colonial building.3 fabulous days in Havana during which we met up with Adrian who gave us all the information we needed for the rest of our trip.
On day 4 we were happy to see Yuri again along with Jose Alberto who drove us to Trinidad, what a fantastic day that was, not just the sites along the way but Yuri and Jose were fun to be with and it was really interesting hearing about their lives in Cuba. And the Palador they took us to for lunch was excellent. Trinidad was beautiful and we wished we had a few more days there, we met up with Juan Carlos while we were there who gave us information on our next transfer.
The very informative Guillaume and Alex then took us across the middle of Cuba, which was eye opening, then through Santa Clara and onto Cayo Coco.
On arrival at the Melia we were booked into a ground floor room overlooking the tennis courts and sports club, when we asked for a first floor quieter room they changed it immediately. The room was immaculate and very spacious with a lovely view of the gardens, the staff couldn’t have been any friendlier or more professional.
I would say overall it was a very good hotel and we really enjoyed our stay there, it had a beautiful beach and it was a perfect place to relax after all the walking and sightseeing in Havana and Trinidad and was much better than the reviews suggested. While we were there we met up with our rep. Hector a couple of times who organised our onward flight to Havana…………very interesting transfer……….very funny……something we’ll remember for a long time. (I would go into more detail but it will be another half page for you to read).
Once again, thanks. I normally enjoy arranging my own trips but Cuba was quite a challenge and we couldn’t have done it without you. I just want to mention all the excellent reps that you use in Cuba that made our trip run smoothly.
Adrian – very friendly, helpful and professional (he also rang and changed our driver for the airport after we requested Yuri)
Yuri – Lovely man who took us to and from Havana Airport and also came with Jose Alberto down to Trinidad. They both gave us a brilliant day that we’ll never forget.
Juan Carlos – he really deserves his trip to the UK ☺
Guillaume – Very professional and very informative, took us to Cayo Coco along with Alex.
Hector – Did an excellent job. Very interesting man, we enjoyed our conversations with him.
Captivating Cuba looked after us well. The tour guide Amel who runs Eyewitness Cuba was absolutely superb, he would get my 100% recommendation for future use - real star - fun, efficient, knowledgeable and relaxed.

Simon and Bernice